


Misunderstanding

by IZKitty



Category: Game Grumps, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Jealous Dan, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-17 06:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21262157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IZKitty/pseuds/IZKitty
Summary: When you're offered the job of a lifetime, Dan takes it a little too personally.
Relationships: Dan Avidan & Reader, Dan Avidan/You, Suzy Berhow/Arin Hanson
Comments: 8
Kudos: 63





	Misunderstanding

Being the creative head of the Game Grumps merchandise line was a pretty sweet gig, if you were being honest with yourself. Never before had a job been so eager for you to grasp your creative side, take it by the reins, and see what it would bring to the table. The fact that Arin had expressed so much trust in you with his brand was a compliment in and of itself. You'd been a fan of his artwork for years, it was a little surreal for him to give you the same level of praise for the various t-shirts and stickers you had designed around their constant stream of in-jokes and crazy characters.

On this day in particular, you had just put the finishing touches on a set of merch based around some of the animals that the Grumps had encountered over several games. Princef Taaanx, Spoiler Owl, Froggy, and a handful of others would get a set of pins, while a select few would be embossed on shirts with quotes behind them. You were quite proud of them all, now it was just a matter of getting approval from the boss to move forward on finances.

As you walked into the bustling main office, your eyes met with Suzy’s, who was busy ordering discount toys for the next few Power Hour episodes. She gave you a sweet smile, coaxing you to come over and see what she had planned for Arin and Dan to play. “Look at this thing,” she commented as you approached, pointing at the screen to draw your attention to what she was criticizing. It looked like some kind of pimple popping game, with the main board consisting of a concerned character's zit covered face. “Can you believe they’d make a game around that?” she added in mild disbelief.

“Oh, Danny’s gonna love that one,” you giggled with a sarcastic air in your tone, picturing his grossed out reaction for a moment before returning to the task at hand. “Speaking of the boys, have you seen Arin? I need his okay on these drawings before I start up the order process and ads.”

Suzy’s eyes lit up at your inquiry, ignoring it briefly to make a grabbing gesture at the folder in your hands. “Can I sneak a peek? You always come up with the cutest ideas for merch.” You couldn’t stop the shy smile at her compliment. Suzy had easily become one of your favorites in the office, her sweet demeanor and bubbly attitude a perfect fit against your introverted nature and sarcastic tongue. Others in the office said that the two of you were like a direct reverse of Arin and Dan, and some joked that you should just date the singer to ‘make the cycle complete.’ You were quick to shut those people down, knowing how Dan felt about committed relationships, especially those with coworkers. Though a tiny part of you wished that wasn’t the case…

Mentally shaking your head to clear those thoughts, you handed over the drafts to Suzy, who opened the folder and promptly broke into a joyful grin. Flipping the page, she chuckled at the manic looking Spoiler Owl you had drawn, the phrase “Snape Kills Dumbledore!!” in bold blue text behind it. “I can already tell you that Arin’s gonna adore these. He’s probably going to ask you to order the ‘This Is Bear Ass’ shirts in pink so he can have one.”

“Well, if I trust anyone’s opinion around here on Arin’s way of thinking, it’s you, Suzy,” you chided with a grin, taking them back from her when she offered them to you. She gave you a thumbs up before glancing at the time on her computer.

“Right about now they should be recording a few episodes of Game Grumps. They needed to do that first thing today because their guest’s schedule was a little tight.” Suzy then gave you a knowing smirk before adding, “You should go in during a break, I know you’ll want to meet him. You’re a big fan of his work.”

Chuckling a little anxiously at that fact, you steadied your nerves with a joke. “Ooo, a mystery guest. How intriguing,” you responded, a bit more sarcasm in your tone than normal. But still, you wondered silently who it could be. Suzy knew about a lot of your interests, given that you wore your fandoms literally on your sleeve through your apparel and the trinkets on your desk. Some celebrities that came to mind seemed a little too far fetched to obtain for the show. But then again, they had managed to land a few well-known people before. After a beat, you shrugged, unable to figure it out. “What the hell? I’m up for embarrassing myself today,” you laughed, thanking Suzy before turning and walking in the direction of the recording room.

The sounds of at least two different voices met your ears when you approached the booth, but they were too muffled to make out through the nerfed walls. Knocking on the door, you heard Arin’s over the top shouting of “COME IIIIN!!” As you entered, his outburst was followed promptly by a scolding from Danny.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Arin! We’re lucky it was just you and me in the room, otherwise this wouldn’t be a Guest Grumps anymore,” Dan joked, laughing to himself before turning to give you that warm, welcoming smile of his. “Hey, [y/n]. Come here to save me from this nightmare I call a career?”

“Man, shut up. You know you love me and this show,” Arin scoffed, leaning back on the couch with a pout before digging up his infamous Grubba voice. “I’m your sweet baby boy slathered in honey.”

Dan gave Arin an incredulous look before losing himself to laughter once more. “If you ever say that to me again, I will walk away from this couch and never look back,” he teased, turning back to you with an expectant grin. “You make a new line of stuff? I love looking at what you come up with, it’s so fuckin’ amazing. As amazing as my art is...not.”

This time, you laughed with him before shaking your head. “You know, if you're really interested, I'd be more than happy to teach you sometime,” you replied with a hand on your hip, to which Arin rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, good luck with that, [y/n]. I’ve been feeding him that line for years. I think he likes complaining about being shit at drawing more than the idea of improving.” The doubt on his face melted into coy smugness in an instant, leaning over to give Danny a gentle nudge to his ribs. “Then again, maybe it’s a matter of who asks him for some one-on-one time. Riiight, Daniel?”

Danny flushed at his friend's words, turning to give him as best of a glare that his calm demeanor would allow. “Arin. I am gonna throw you across the room, and I guarantee you, I will not be sorry.”

Breaking their friendly banter off with a clearing of your throat, you leaned over the couch to drop the folder of drafts in Arin's lap. You loved them both, but there was work to be done; yours as well as their own. “Can I please put this on pause to get your okay on these, El Presidente? So we can all get back to our lives sometime today?” You held a no-nonsense stare for a beat before breaking into a joking smirk.

“Fiiiine...let's see what you've got,” Arin groaned dramatically, unable to hide his good natured smile as he picked up the drawings. The grin didn't fade as he leafed through the packet, and you took note of how his eyes sparkled at the design that Suzy claimed would be his favorite. “I'll sign off on these if you swear to me that you'll get that ‘Bear Ass’ one in some shade of pink.”

You let out a string of giggles at his request. “Suzy knew that you'd love that one,” you commented, leaning your weight on the back of the sofa as Dan peered over Arin's shoulder to glance at your drawings.

“Honestly, dude, I dunno why you require [y/n] to show you her art before she orders the merch. It's always incredible,” the singer chimed in, shooting you a sweet smile after complimenting your work. Your cheeks tinted pink in response, returning his grin with a thankful one of your own. It always meant a lot to you that he never hesitated to shower you in praise. It was yet another reason why he was such a great person to work with; his positive energy was always able to put you in a pleasant mood.

Shrugging in response to his friend's comment, Arin handed the folder back to you before picking up his discarded Wii remote. “It's more or less because I have to. In a legal sense, it ensures that I know where the company's money is going, in case I have to file it down in a physical form.” It never ceased to amaze you how professional of a business owner Arin could be, given that he had made his living screaming obscenities at Sonic games for the past six years. Turning to smile kindly at you, he then added, “Honestly, if it were up to me, I'd give ya full permission to sign off on whatever you saw fit.”

“So what you're saying is that my line of crudely drawn enamel penis pins still has a chance,” you quipped without missing a beat, causing both men in front of you to burst into a fit of chuckles.

At that moment, the door behind you opened, and a voice that registered as somewhat familiar spoke up. “Okay, whoever designed that Portal setup in your bathroom is a genius. I need something like that in my house.”

Arin grinned at the person as you turned around, and you froze in place when it dawned on you who their guest was. “Well, thank you, Jhonen. It _was_ a stroke of brilliance on my part, wasn't it?” the animator joked, flipping his hair behind his shoulder with a flourish.

“I thought that was Ross’s idea,” Dan piped up, to which Arin dramatically shushed him. But their back and forth was lost on you as your brain locked up in the presence of your artistic idol, Jhonen Vasquez.

Your intense staring was not lost on Jhonen as he met your gaze, shifting awkwardly in the spot while your mind finally kick started back into motion. And then, you were giggling, the sound causing the other two men on the couch to perk up and glance in your direction. “Okay, I'm sorry. Your face just screamed, ‘Oh, Christ. Please don't try to hug me,’” you laughed.

After a pause, Jhonen smirked back at you, and you took that as a good sign that you’d put out the fire before the bridge burned down between you. “It's more common than you’d think. You create one tiny cult following and your fans suddenly forget everything they've learned about personal space,” he responded.

“Well, I may be a fan of yours, but there's no blood on my walls or bodies in my basement.” Surprisingly, Jhonen actually chuckled at your comment, which made your own grin widen slightly. “Oh, good. You thought that was funny,” you added, causing him to laugh again.

“Damn, Arin. Where do you find these people? Everyone who works here is such a ball of energy. I'm lucky if my coworkers are still breathing when I get into the studio,” the artist commented over towards the man on the sofa.

Leaning back on the cushion, Arin winked at you before replying, “Oh, I've seen [y/n] come into work dead fuckin’ tired before. You just managed to catch her on a giddy day. Weird how that works out, huh?” You casually flipped him off, noting his teasing tone. Taking it as a challenge, he then said, “Oh, Jhonen, [y/n] is also an artist. She's actually in charge of the Grump’s merch on our website. You should check out her work.”

You glared at your boss before turning back to face Jhonen with a nervous grin, hesitantly holding out your draft folder. “I-I mean, only if you want to. I'm not gonna be one of those people that's like, ‘I copied my work to be just like yours!’, or anything. B-but you are a sort of muse of mine, not gonna lie.” You failed to notice it, but your shy gushing caught the attention of a certain singer sitting silently on the couch, watching your discussion unfold with a solomn frown.

“Sure, let's see what you've got,” Jhonen replied with a kind smile, holding a hand out to gently grasp your drawings. He opened it and flipped to the first page, his expression pulling into a poker face as he seriously scrutinized your work. “These are pretty funny,” he commented genuinely, gesturing for you to come closer as he stopped on the Spoiler Owl design. “I find that a stupid-easy way to make a character look more manic is to put one pupil on the direct other side of their opposite eye.” He pointed to the spot for emphasis to show what he meant, and you nodded in silent agreement, drinking in his opinion.

“...I mean, I thought they were already perfect,” Dan finally piped up, causing you to look over at him with a caring smile.

“I know you did, Danny. And I appreciate that. But Jhonen’s a bit more knowledgable about this kind of thing,” you explained politely, turning back to the artist with an eager grin. “I'll have to ask you for some more pointers sometime.”

Jhonen waved a hand in dismissal at your request. “Nah, you don't really need much more input than that. Your work is truly fantastic in its own right.” You couldn't help but flush at his praise, the words meaning volumes from someone you idolized so much. “But now that you mention it, how about we exchange phone numbers? I have something coming up that you might be able to assist me with. It's not finalized yet, but I feel you'd be a great asset if it gets off the ground.”

You were lucky you didn't faint on the spot at his request, finally remembering what he had asked of you before fishing in your pocket for your phone. “Yes, absolutely! That means the world to me, thank you so much,” you gushed, unable to stop yourself from acting like the fan of his that you were. Blushing a bit, you cleared your throat before adding, “Sorry. The fangirl escaped her cage for a second there. I've got her tethered back in.” You were relieved when Jhonen chuckled at your joke, rather than hand your cell phone back to you with an empty new contact, like you had assumed that he would.

“We will definitely be in touch,” he assured you, and you thanked him one more time before giving his hand a shake, nearly forgetting to wave goodbye to Dan and Arin on your way out. As you got out into the hallway, you couldn't resist hopping in place for a moment, pure joy spreading over you as it finally registered that yes; that had just happened. Jhonen Vasquez had enjoyed your artwork, and you would be hearing from him again. Possibly for a new project? You hoped that Arin wouldn't mind too much.

~~~

Arin was actually quite happy for you potentially getting more work. He wanted above all else for his employees to spread their wings whenever the opportunity struck, even if that meant moving away from Grump Inc. to do so. But not everyone in the recording booth was in the highest of spirits over what had just transpired.

“Dan!” The singer snapped his head up in surprise as his friend all but yelled at him. “I said, ‘Isn't it great that [y/n] gets to work with her idol?’”

“Yeah, isn't it great that she gets to work with me?” Jhonen joked, moving back around to the front of the couch. He sat over on Arin's right as the animator stared Dan down. Something seemed off about him, but it was a bit hard to tell. He appeared to be almost in a daze over something… “I hope you guys don't mind me stealing your artist friend away for a private project.”

“No!!” Danny's outburst shocked everyone in the room, including himself. Blushing deeply, he hid his embarrassment by covering his face with his wild mane of hair. “I-I mean, n-no, of course we don't…”

After a beat, Jhonen leaned back into the comfort of the couch. “Okaaay?” Brushing off the awkward silence, he then turned to Arin with a smirk. “So, are we continuing this torment? We didn't have to play some shitty Nicktoons Wii game just because they shoehorned ZIM into it.”

“I beg to fucking differ, good sir,” Arin argued, but their conversation turned into a dull buzz for Danny as he thought back to you. What if this new job pulled you away from the Grump space for good? Would you visit them, or forget about the gang entirely? No, you weren't cold hearted like that. And you loved working there, or at least, it seemed like you did. But if Jhonen could hold your attention so well that you'd forgotten that he had been in the same room as you…You had cast his opinion aside like it was nothing...

“DAN.” His thoughts were brought to a screeching halt as Arin shouted his name again, this time followed with a disgruntled huff. “I was asking if you wanna play something else, but apparently you’d rather just keep ignoring me.”

After floundering about for a good response, the singer unfortunately came up short, so he went for the sympathetic option. “Sorry, man...I think I may be coming down with something.” _Yeah, like a broken heart,_ he added mentally.

His confession got Arin's attention, the younger man perking up in concern. “Shit, seriously? You wanna call it a day today? I know how you feel about getting sick.” Dan couldn't help the thankful smile over his friend's fawning. It was honestly nice to know that Arin always had his coworkers’ well being in mind.

“Thanks, man. But I think I can suck it up for at least a few more hours. I don't think the Lovlies will forgive me if we have Jhonen on for just the one episode.” Danny put on a brave face as he tried to push you from his thoughts. As much as he wanted to run from the room and tell you how he felt, he knew in his heart that it wasn't fair to do that when you would possibly be leaving to persue another career. For the sake of everyone else, and your own happiness, he had to let you go.

~~~

The cafe wasn't as crowded as you had expected it to be on a Saturday, the chime of the bell above the door echoing throughout the shop that seemed devoid of customers. Luckily, the lack of people made it easy to spot Jhonen in the corner booth, and you quickly bought a coffee and asked for it to be brought to your table, which the barista seemed to have no trouble with, considering they were probably bored to death waiting for someone to come in.

“Hey! Good to see you again, I hope I wasn't keeping you waiting for too long,” you said as you sat down in the seat opposite him. He glanced up from his phone as you approached, smiling kindly before slipping the device into his jacket pocket.

“Don't worry, I just got here a few minutes ago. I was texting a coworker to let her know that we got the green light from Nickelodeon to move forward on our merchandise for the Invader ZIM movie.”

Your eyes lit up at that, excited by the fact that more clothes and toys would soon be available to purchase for one of your favorite shows. “Nice! I'd love to get my hands on some of that. Any chance you can give me a release date and a few store locations?” you asked, though you knew from your own line of work that those kinds of questions typically couldn't be answered before a creator had the finished product.

“Actually, I was hoping that you’d be helping us with those dates,” Jhonen replied with a coy grin.

Your expression furrowed into one of confusion, unsure what he meant by that. Well, you had an idea, but self doubt laced any ounce of belief you may have had. “Wait...huh?” was all your brain could muster. Eloquent, to say the least.

Taking a moment to pull a few papers from his backpack, Jhonen explained, “I was impressed by the content you've been creating for the Game Grumps, and I called you here to see if you would like to assist me and our art director, Jenny Goldberg, with creating some of the merchandise for Enter the Florpus.” He set the stack onto the table, and that's when you realized that they were contract papers. “Obviously you can have some time to read this over. I'm not jaded enough to expect a ‘yes’ right away, even if you are a fan of mine. Either way, we’ll be starting production on them this Monday. I think you would make a wonderful addition to the team, plus it'll take some of the workload off of us so we can actually sleep and eat food.”

You were frozen to the spot, eyes darting between him and the contract a few times before slowly sliding it closer to you. You waited for him to laugh and tell you that he was kidding, but it never came, only an expectant grin. Finally, you returned it with one of your own, and you resisted the urge to jump out of your seat and hug him.

“YES! O-oops, sorry about that.” You had managed to let out your outburst just as the barista came by with your drink, startling them and nearly causing the hot beverage to spill out from their hands and directly onto the floor. You handed them a tip to further apologize, which they were more than happy to take. Taking a nervous sip of your coffee, you used your free hand to dig around in your bag for a pen. “I could have Brent look this over for me, but I'd like to think you wouldn't try to intentionally screw me over,” you said as you got ready to sign the agreement, skimming it at the very least to get an idea of what would be expected of you. It all seemed pretty cut and dry, though one part made you pause, pointing it out to Jhonen. “What's this mean? ‘No contact with those outside of the company’? I don't have to resign with the Grumps, do I?” You didn't wish to explain why, but that would definitely be a deal breaker, as the thought of not being able to see Dan - or the rest of the group - was too much to bear.

Jhonen waved a hand at your question. “Sorry, that's worded really weird. You don't have to quit your current job, or anything like that. It's talking about the content you'll be creating and any release dates. In your case, that is only to be discussed with Jenny or myself. I'll forward the info to any other affiliates that need to know, so if anyone else asks you, tell them to come see me.”

You nodded in understanding, already knowing how crucial it was to keep products in development under wraps to avoid issues with company contracts. Some were incredibly strict when it came to advertising and branding, and you assumed that Nickelodeon was no different. So after a few more minutes of reading, you scratched your signature across the bottom line, handing it back to Jhonen with a joyful smile. “This is like a dream come true. Thank you so much for this amazing opportunity,” you said shyly, still recovering mentally over the incredible turn of events.

“Don't thank me just yet, you still haven't worked with me. Or Jenny, for that matter. She can be a bit of a perfectionist,” Jhonen laughed, and since the business portion of your meeting had ended, conversation from there branched into more casual topics. You liked how down to earth he seemed to be, with a sharp tongue and sarcastic wit that could rival even your own. It was nice getting to know the person behind the content you enjoyed, and you internally celebrated the fact that meeting one of your heroes hadn't blown up in your face.

After about an hour had passed, Jhonen checked his watch, grimacing at the time. “Whoops, I have to be downtown in about thirty minutes. Better get moving.” He stood and offered his hand, which you took to shake without hesitation. “It was nice talking to you, [y/n]. I'm looking forward to working with you.”

“Now look who's jumping to conclusions. Didn't Arin warn you about me?” you joked, causing him to smirk and shake his head. “Damn...you need better friends, dude.”

He chuckled at your comment, nodding as he stepped towards the door. “Why do you think I stuck around in this cafe for another hour than I needed to?” His question caught you off guard, causing you to flush and stare down into your coffee. He considered you a potential _friend_? You felt honored to simply be in his presence. But through the veil of fame, you could easily say the same about him. He seemed like a cool guy, you were truly looking forward to sharing an office with him.

“So we’ll see you on Monday? I'll text you the address and time after my meeting,” he promised, and you nodded in eager agreement. “Great! I'll make sure Jenny is caffeinated when you come in so she's not the zombie she usually is.”

You laughed and gave him a thumbs up. “Oh, trust me. If it's early enough, I'll totally understand,” you retorted, waving one more time before watching him leave. You checked your phone at that moment, nearly choking on your coffee when you noticed the time. Jhonen wasn't the only one who was about to be late, it seemed.

~~~

“Why do you keep staring at the front door like you wanna make out with it?”

Ross's voice cut through the silence of the nearly empty office, causing Danny to whip his head around to meet the animator's piercing blue eyes. Other than them, the only other people expected to come in that day were Arin, Ben, Allie, and you. It was catch up day, and any work that hadn't been finished during the week was expected to be completed. You'd been complaining for the past few days about not having enough time to fill out the t-shirt order forms, which had not been lost on Dan. And that’s why he was there, on his day off, waiting to greet you with your favorite latte in his hand. But for the first time in a long time, it seemed that you would be late, or worse…

“...Dude. She'll be here. Just relax,” Ross added, rolling his eyes before turning his attention back to his tablet.

Dan wasn't phased by his friend's teasing, crossing his arms as he slumped down onto the couch in the lounge. “How do you know I'm waiting for [y/n]? Maybe I have work to do, too. I'm a busy guy.”

“Because one; you don't drink coffee, and two; I never said you were waiting on [y/n]. Allie isn't here yet, either,” Ross responded without even looking up, using his best ‘gotcha’ tone to further annoy Dan. And given that it was Ross, it was a pretty good one.

Blushing deeply, Danny turned away from the Aussie to lock eyes with the door again. “Fuck off, Ross. Why don't you go make another Mario Maker hell level?” he grumbled.

“All in due time, Daniel Avidaniel,” the shorter man retorted with a cheeky smirk.

Suddenly, the sound of the doorknob turning snapped Danny to attention, grabbing the still-warm takeout cup sitting on the table in front of him. Ross made a quiet whipping noise as he watched the singer flounder about, but Dan hardly noticed, his heart throbbing in relief when you and Allie walked into the office together. You had bumped into her in the parking lot and were unable to resist talking about your meeting with Jhonen, though you were careful to leave out the business side of things.

“Hey, ladies! [y/n], I was at Starbucks this morning and got you a drink,” Danny said, smiling warmly as he held the cup out to you. You blushed as you felt Allie’s teasing gaze bore into you, as she had knowledge about your crush on him. On any other day, this would have been the most welcoming thing you could have come into work to see.

Unfortunately, this was not an ordinary afternoon. “That's super sweet of you, Dan. And don't get me wrong, I'd take it in a heartbeat if I needed it. But I already went out for coffee today with Jhonen, and if I drink any more, I'll get all jittery and won't be able to hold my tablet pen straight.” Turning to the girl on your left, you then asked, “Did you want it, Allie? I’ve never seen you turn down Starbucks before.”

“Damn right, I won't. Want me to just pay you back, Dan? Seems only fair, considering you bought it with [y/n] in mind.” She smirked at you as she said the last sentence, and you nudged her gently to quiet her.

There was a beat of silence as Danny processed your words, still hung up on them as it seemed that his worst fear had already been realized. Jhonen was slowly stealing you away from him, and there was nothing he could do about it. Shaking his head slowly, he was unable to look directly at you or Allie as he handed over the beverage. “N-no, it's fine. I just...I have to go,” he muttered. And with that, he pushed past the two of you and out the door, leaving you both quite confused over what had just transpired.

“What was that all about?” Allie asked aloud, and you shrugged in response. Was it something you said? You hoped that Dan wasn't mad at you for not wanting his gift. But it's not like you had asked him to pick something up for you. Why was he being so bitter about such a trivial matter?

Sighing softly, you turned to walk further into the office, making a mental note to confront him about his behavior the next time you saw him. For now, there was work to be done.

~~~

The following week went by in a blur as you were pulled from one job to the other. Travel time between the Grump space and Nickelodeon studios was blissfully short, but it still took its toll, and you had resorted to napping in both offices whenever you had a break. You were eternally thankful that Arin seemed to want this project to work out for you, and he had done everything in his power to ease your workload. Your duties at your main job had dwindled a bit, as the boss himself had taken to the task of filling out orders and designing a few of his own products. He had even collaborated with you on a Twitter fanart contest, with the winners getting their artwork made into their own set of shirts.

Despite Arin knowing where you were going and why you needed so much help, you had kept the details to a bare minimum, so no one in the Grump office knew what you were meeting up with Jhonen’s crew for on a daily basis. Nobody pressed about it, except for Ross, but that was mainly because of his admiration of Jhonen's work. So the pressure to keep things under wraps was low, and you didn't dwell on it too much.

Even life at the new location was stressful, but kept light and fun with your coworkers. Despite Jhonen's ‘warnings,’ Jenny turned out to be a joy to work with, making you laugh and have to re-draw lines on more than one occasion. She did have an eye for mistakes, and had nitpicked a couple of your drawings due to rough borders or incorrect colors. But it was never done in malice, and you could tell that she was simply passionate about her art as well as your own. All in all, things were going about as smoothly as they could have been for you.

The one thing that was bothering you, however, was Danny. Over the course of the work week, he seemed to abandon any room you stepped into, barely looking in your direction whenever you walked by, let alone uttering a single word to you. His silence cut deep, and you weren't sure why he was so adamant about ignoring your presence. You wished to just talk to him about it, but trying to get one on one time with him was like attempting to lock yourself in a room with a frightened animal. For a tall, lanky male, he was quick on his feet, and he'd made it painfully obvious that he wanted nothing to do with you.

Finally, you'd had enough. Maybe it was the stress of pulling double shifts, or perhaps the lack of sleep that came with it, but his defiant act needed to be addressed. Being that it was Friday, and there was no doubt that you'd be back the next day to catch up on Grump work, you hastily scribbled a note to place on Dan’s desk, knowing there was a chance he'd recognize your handwriting and immediately throw it away. But you had to try, and if he still acted like a child, then you would know it wasn't on you to mend your friendship with him.

_ **Dan, please come to the office tomorrow at noon. I'm not sure why you've been avoiding me, but if it's something that I did, then I want to see if I can make it right. We can talk this out in private if you want, I don't want to lose one of my best friends. If you don't show, I'll have no choice but to assume the worst. Please don't let me down. ** _

_ **[y/n]** _

You bit your lip as you read the note twice, mulling it over before adding in the space between the final sentence and your name:

_ **I love you.** _

Your heart was hammering in your chest as you set the folded up note on his computer, wondering if he'd see those words as simply friendly adoration, or something more. But if you thought about it much longer, you'd be late to meet up with Jhonen and Jenny. So with a few goodbyes to everyone you passed in the office, you left, the letter to Dan still lingering in the corner of your mind.

~~~

You got into work nearly half an hour before you had to, nervous about whether or not Danny would show. Saturdays had been left open for you to do nothing but your main job at the Grump space, so you had made a focused beeline to get there on time, not even stopping for anything to drink or eat along the way. It was silly to think he'd already be there waiting, especially if he had his own work to do at home. Given that he didn't even wish to be in the same room as you, why would he willingly choose to be in the same building?

Because you had asked him to be there. And you were certain that, no matter what had caused this rift between you, he wouldn't abandon you.

Your theory proved correct when you opened the main door, holding back a relieved sigh when you saw Danny sitting in the same spot you'd found him in just one week ago. He looked drained, almost as if he was somehow getting even less sleep than you were. And considering his work ethic, you wouldn't put it past him for skipping on slumber entirely. But you'd seen overworked, sleepless Dan before. This was different; it was almost like he was depressed over something.

When he finally looked up to realize that you had entered the room, he slowly stood from the couch. For a fleeting moment, you were worried that he would turn and leave, like he'd done to you all this week. But thankfully, this was not the case, and he approached you with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets. He looked scared to be around you, like you were preparing to give him a verbal beating. “The recording booth’s empty, if you wanna do this in private,” he mumbled, unable to look you in the eye. You silently nodded, gripping the strap of your bag a bit tighter as you led the way to the soundproof room, making sure the door was locked behind you after you'd both entered.

Once the door fell shut and you had sat down on the sofa, you opened your mouth to speak. But Dan beat you to the punch as he spat out, “Okay, look...I'm sorry for making you feel so shitty this past week. That was a dick move on my part, I shouldn't have done that to you. I was preparing myself for when you leave us for good, and I wasn't really ready to face that yet. So it kind of projected out into, like, silent resentment, I guess.”

You blinked in surprise, unsure for a moment about how to respond to that. There was a lot to unpack there, so you started with one thing at a time. “Wait, hold on. Back up for a second. Who told you that I was leaving you guys?” you asked. Had something gotten lost in translation due to your lack of communication with the group? This was just a one time side project, not something that would pull you away from the Grump space for good.

Danny blushed in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck as he stuttered out, “N-no one, I just, like, figured this was your dream job, y’know? Why stay with scrubs like us when you can have a career with your artistic idol?”

You gave him an incredulous look. Did he seriously think that you were going to abandon them just because Jhonen thought that you had talent? You already knew that you were good, you didn't need someone you admired to tell you that. “Dan...if Rush came up to you tomorrow and said, ‘Hey, you're a great singer! You should go on tour with us and leave your other bands behind!’, would you do it?”

“Rush hasn't gone on tour in years,” Dan retorted matter-of-factly, but you shunned him into seriousness with an unimpressed stare. “...No, I wouldn't. I couldn't do that to Brian or Arin, that’s such a garbage-y thing to do.”

“So why on earth are you assuming I'd do the same? Just because I'm going to work with another company for a bit doesn't mean I'm gonna quit on you. I love working here. I love being around you and hanging out with you...a-and everyone else, of course.” You added the last part hastily, blushing madly as you nervously picked lint from the couch cushion between you and Dan. “I wouldn't change a thing about my life. I just went down a little detour, that’s all,” you muttered without looking up, shyness getting the better of you.

Suddenly, his hand reached out to gently grab yours, and you snapped your head up to look into his eyes. And oh...the look he was giving you. If you hadn't been flushed before, you were certain you were beet red at that moment. “You're right, and it wasn't fair for me to judge you like that. Can you forgive me?” he asked quietly, his voice just above a husky whisper that sent pleasant warmth spreading through your body.

Teasing him was just too much to resist, it seemed, because the only response you could think to muster up was, “Hmm...I dunno. How sorry _are_ you?” It was meant to be a joke, but your heart nearly stopped as Dan’s chocolate brown eyes scanned over your lips for a brief moment before meeting your gaze once more.

“I could show you. Would you be okay with that?” he asked softly, and you could only nod stiffly in response, hoping above all else that you were reading all of his body language correctly. Without another word, he leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to yours, your eyes fluttering shut as his mouth moved perfectly against your own. All too soon, he pulled away, leaving you dazed and wanting more. “I-I've wanted to do that for a while, it's why I was so worried about you leaving. I hope you're not-” He was silenced by you tugging him back in for another, more passionate kiss, parting your lips to grant him access as you tangled your fingers in his wild mane of hair. A quick testing pull of the soft locks elicited the sweetest sound from him, and you sighed in content as he all but dragged you into the comfort of his lap.

As you separated for air, you smiled down at him, knowing now why he'd been so concerned about your new job. “Still think I've got a crush on Jhonen?” you teased, causing him to blush and shake his head. “Good, because I've only had eyes for you since the day I started working here.” Your confession had him blinking in bewilderment, and you giggled and shook your head. “Did I really not make that obvious? You're the only one in the entire office that I got a Christmas present for last year...and you're Jewish!”

“I thought that was the joke!” he countered, laughing loudly with you as you snuggled into his embrace. “I'm an old man, [y/n]. You have to be a little more up front with that kind of shit.”

“Look who's talking,” you retorted, and he chuckled as he started to rub your back.

“Fair point.” The sound of your stomach growling caught you both off guard, and Dan pulled you away from him just enough to give you an accusing stare. “[y/n]...you didn't skip on breakfast again, did you?”

You paused, taking the time to bury your face in his chest, too embarrassed to look him in the eye. This wasn't the first time he'd playfully chastised you for skipping meals. “...Mayyybe,” you muttered against his shirt, causing him to tut and shake his head.

“How many times do I have to tell you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day? Sometimes I wonder why I try,” he teased with a dramatic sigh, standing you both up to grab a snack from the office kitchen.

After a moment of silence, you tried to win him over again with sweetness. “...Because you love me?”

Without missing a beat, he leaned down to plant a kiss on your temple. “Damn right, I do.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so it's been a while! My life has been nuts the past few months, including, but not limited to, going to Scribble Showdown, getting a new job, and finally getting a handle on my depression! \owo/ So I'm sorry for my absence, but I hope this drabble makes up for it. It's just something I've been tinkering with on my breaks, and who doesn't love a good jelly Dan, amirite? :3c Enjoy, lovelies!


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